


Downfall

by katsudono



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Decapitation, Depression, Gen, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2018-09-24 01:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9693710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katsudono/pseuds/katsudono
Summary: The world is in chaos. The human population is decreasing second by second. And the dead are hungry.Sakura has been trapped in her apartment for a whole week after a contagious disease broke out and startled the world. With nothing left for her anymore, she decides to commit suicide after witnessing the madness this world has been brought to. That's until she randomly receives a call from a stranger who, by pure luck, is still alive. He wants to team up with her and face the wrath of Mother Nature together with her, to find a way out. The only problem is that he lives in the other side of the country.Determined, Sakura mans up and decides to carry out the most difficult journey of all. A journey of survival, faith and sacrifice. A journey to find Sasuke Uchiha, the savior of her life.





	1. Guts

**Author's Note:**

> This piece of work was originally posted on my Wattpad account (SleepyNinjaa) but I decided to publish it on here too. 
> 
> I hope y'all like the preface of the fan fiction! I've been working hard on this piece of work and I'm proud of it up to now; let me hear your opinions/suggestions down in the comments!

Sakura wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and reached back to her bun to make sure it was still in place. She bent front and seized the screwdriver in her hand. She span it on the item she was holding and pushed the screw in as hardly as she could.

"This one shall do," she muttered quietly as she let the screwdriver fall back in the toolbox and observed her masterpiece.

It couldn't be identified as something normal at the beginning due to multiple wires covering it. However, if you would look closer, you could actually realize that this was a handmade phone or just a communication item. It had taken her almost two days to complete it but her creation was getting her one step closer to freedom. Her plan was to construct some kind of walky talky which could detect an active cellphone or another walky talky. She had tried to find the biggest antenna in her house and she had to use her cable's since it could connect with any active communication service located miles away.

Sakura swallowed a shaky breath and held the device carefully. What was she supposed to do now? Send out a message and see if anyone could answer? Better than nothing.

The girl pressed the button in the center and brought the device close to her mouth, "Hello. My name is Sakura Haruno and I-"

She paused herself and stared blankly at the masterpiece. Her mind had gone blank in a matter of seconds after she had first spoken to it. There was a slight chance for her to be saved by someone if she would choose her words carefully. After all, people were terrified and there was no way they were going to get out of their houses in order to save a mere college student like her.

Sakura pressed the button again and, with determination running in her veins, she brought it close to her mouth for once more.

"Hello, survivors. My name is Sakura Haruno and I'm one of the few survivors of the city of Tokyo in Japan. If anyone. . . If anyone can hear this, please answer and let me know where you are."

She removed her finger from the button and waited. One minute. Three minutes. Five minutes. Nothing happened.

"I know. . ." she started again, feeling her own self tearing up at the thought of it. "I know you're probably scared and alone, terrified from everything that is happening right now out there. I can understand. I realize that you're in pain and you want to end all of this right now." She paused to wipe her eyes from the tears which had started to form and were blurring her vision, "But let's team up and face the difficulties. Together. Over."

She sat cross-legged on the pavement with the device on her lap, eagerly waiting for a response. Hours passed by and she silently stayed there, her body twitching from time to time for her bloodflow to continue normally again. Yet, to her, it seemed like centuries had passed since she had sent this decisive message. Her last action was to glance out of a small opening of her closed window which made her realise that the night had finally fallen.

That the world was much more cruel than she had thought.

. . . . . .

Shelves. . . empty. Cupboards. . . empty. Fridge. . . empty.

Sakura felt the tears brinking to the sides of her eyes and this time, she let them fall down freely. She was utterly frustrated with everything; herself, humanity and the absence of food in the house. She had her last meal last night and as much as she was searching, she couldn't find anything else left. Not even a chunk of bread or a can of standardized cheese. Two days since she had sent out the message yet no reply was received.

Sakura was getting desperate. She had no way out of this hellish apartment, out of this devastated country. Her only way out was terrifying. Yet, it seemed logical to her right now. ** _Death_**.

She couldn't let herself become food for those flesh-eating monsters or she would never forgive herself. She didn't want to become one of them. She didn't want to kill anyone. All she wanted was to get away.

As she rested herself on her couch, she examined all the options possible. There was no person to help her out as she had examined all the other rooms of the apartment complex from her window or from the sounds; all she had heard was snarling noises and all she had seen was moving corpses on the streets. Getting out all by herself was automatically setting her as the next meal of the walking dead. One last option lingered in her mind. . .

The girl lifted herself up from the couch and steadily approached the kitchen. It took her less than two seconds to find the item she was searching for. She seized the kitchen knife on her hand and stared with interest at both of its sides.

Sakura returned back in the living room and stood in the middle of it. Suddenly, she began walking towards the shelves besides her TV and paused her step when she was right in front of them. Her hand immediately grabbed the framed picture with two persons standing right in the middle. Their smiles was what she cherished the most and she wished their happiness was still existent.

"Thank you, mom, dad."

Letting the frame back on the shelf, she bent down to catch a picture which was showing her together with another person. They were side-hugging each other and bright smiles were plastered on their careless faces, not caring about a thing.

Sakura pressed her finger on the second person who appeared to be a boy with spiky brown hair and red markings on his cheeks. He was winking playfully at the camera, like he was telling her to follow him up to his room. The college girl laughed at this thought; she was longing for the days when she was partying so hard that she was returning back to her house the next noon.

Without leaving the picture back to its place, Sakura lied herself on the floor covered with a white matress while she placed the picture on her tummy. She closed her eyes peacefully, "Thank you, Kiba. I will never forget about you."

Tightening her grip around the hilt of the knife, she held it right in front of her chest like a mother would hold her baby in a playful manner. She swallowed the hard lump which was formed previously in her throat and realized what she was ready to do. The thought of death itself was frightening, let alone killing yourself.

"Now, it will take us only a second and then. . ." Sakura muttered to herself, trying to soothe her body for the upcoming impact. "We'll go to heaven together with all the nice people. . . Yeah. . ."

Sakura was ready to take down the knife and end her life. She let out the breath she had been holding for quite some time and began relaxing her grasp around the knife.

A muffled sound near her ear disrupted her actions and caused her to scream in surprise. By instict, she pushed herself to the side and found herself staring at the item which had producted this kind of acute noise. The device she had completed constructing two days ago was leaving some glitching sounds, like it was malfunctioning.

The device was resting in her hands in the next moment and she found herself waiting for something to happen besides this monotonous muffling sound. And it did.

A familiar greeting in her language startled the living hell inside of her and awakened her urge for life for once more.

_"Hello?"_


	2. It has begun

_"Hello?"_

Sakura dropped the knife on the floor and it bounced, landing a few meters away from her with a clattering sound. Her mouth stood agape as she stared at the now working device. Her breathing quickened, her hands became drenched with cold sweat and she wondered whether her mind was playing games with her.

"Hello? Sakura Haruno?" the voice from the other line called out, thing which immediately defeated Sakura's theories.

Without wasting any more time, she picked up the walky talky from the floor and brought it close to her mouth. She parted her lips and closed her eyes, pressing the button of the device.

"I'm here."

Someone breathed out from the other line, "Thank goodness."

Sakura let out a sudden sob and covered her mouth with her unoccupied hand. Tiny tears began slipping out of her eyes and creating a path from her eyes down to her jaw, her hands clutching the device close to her chest. Relief washed over her and she rubbed her eyes, wanting to protect herself from another sudden breakdown.

There was someone. There was _someone_ out there, a living person who had saved her from killing herself. Her unknown savior from the walky talky.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked once she had regained her composure.

Silence followed after her sudden question and the only thing she could hear was her ragged breathing and that annoying buzzing sound in her ears.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha and. . . I'm alive."

The girl shook her head and chuckled softly, "Yes. . . You're alive. . . Alive."

Sakura had grown sick of death. Recalling her suicidal thoughts and her attempt to suicide moments ago was twisting her stomach, bringing up this morbid feeling which was threatening to spill off her mouth. Death had conquered their world, death had destroyed humanity. Being alive was reassuring and warm, a questionable intimacy in this ragged society.

". . . Has anyone else contacted you yet?"

Sasuke's voice snapped her back to her senses and she glanced at the device momentarily. His inquiry had hints of hopes deep inside it and Sakura was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or bluntly lie to him, just for the sake of not disappointing him. Ignorance was definitely not a bliss.

"Sadly no," she whispered and stood up. "However, if we manage to hit some radio studios or big centers, we may bring more survivors in the light. I have survived by a mere miracle. My cellphone was out of range after two days and the remaining battery soon dropped. The worst thing is that I had forgotten my charger in my car and. . . There was no way I would dare to step out of my apartment."

The pink-haired girl began waltzing around the room, a habit she had grown when she used to speak to the phone. The twisting sensation occupied her stomach for another time and she hardly tried to ignore it. Remembering mundane things she couldn't have anymore was jading her sensations.

"I haven't stepped out of my house either but today, I was ready to. I have ran out of supplies and it will be better if I'll try and find me some food. Better not to die from starvation. But. . . In order for our voices to be heard, we have to team up," Sasuke finished his own explanation and stayed silent, waiting for the girl's response.

Sakura licked her dry lips and plopped on her couch. There was only one way out and she knew it. She had to get out of her apartment and strive for survival. Was she going to step out or not, death was waiting for her both inside and out. Yet, the possibilities of survival outside where bigger than staying inside, as crazy as it sounded.

The girl stood up and rushed in her room, her hand immediately being shoved in the shelves and searching for the required items. Once she had found them, she placed the paper and her pen on the small nightstand and pressed the speaker button.

"Tell me everything you know about those. . . _things_."

Shuffling sounds were heard from the other line and it seemed like Sasuke was searching for something too. A few moments later, the sound came to a halt and soft breathing replaced it.

"I have observed some of them from my window and I think I have some information concerning them. It is not much though." A sigh escaped his lips and Sakura got her pen ready, lingering above the paper, "They react to sound and sudden movement. I advice you to be extremely careful where you're stepping- also, the best time of the day to move is early in the morning. It isn't completely obscure and they seem not to be that active. Other than that is that they move really slow. However, if there is some prey close to them, they can become runners in a snap."

When Sakura realized that Sasuke had stopped talking, she let down her pen and neared the device to her mouth, "Is that all?"

"There isn't much to see when your view is limited by a window," he snapped which caused Sakura to stifle a flinch.

"Got this," was all she replied before letting the device besides the paper. Her mind was taking turns and she was sure she could make out a plan which would be appropriate enough for her escape. "I will contact you in a bit."

With a faint affirmative sound, the small call was ended and Sakura fiddled with the pen in her hand. She tapped its tip on the paper and she huffed, catching her head which had began aching. She needed to make this plan work. She needed to get out of that hellhole and survive. Yet, her mind had gone blank in a matter of seconds and, no matter how many times she was restarting her thoughts, she couldn't seem to come up with anything.

"Wait."

She grabbed the paper in her hands and stared at the information given. The gears in her mind began moving again and the puzzle pieces slowly came together and formed the whole plan in her mind. It was risky enough but it could at least work. Nothing was impossible- not when the dead had come back to life.

It took her nearly an hour to finish the whole sketching and walking in and out of the room, only to gather what she needed from closets and shelves. She was nearly out of paper when she finally finished writing and drawing lines. She fanned herself with her hand and decided to talk to Sasuke again, seeing that her plan was only going to work if she had a second opinion on it.

Before she could even touch the device, the same shuffling sound came out from it which was soon replaced with a now familiar noise for her, the quiet voice of the male savior of hers.

"Are you done yet?"

Sakura expected something more than this but she simply huffed and glanced at the papers. The button of the device was pressed, "Yes, but I would like to listen to your opinion about it."

Silence followed after her request yet his voice occupied it once again, "Go ahead."

Sakura arranged her papers in front of her and placed the walky talky in front of her mouth like they were doing in spying movies, ready to talk.

"Since you said that the wanderers are more inactive at early in the morning, I decided to start my operation from there." She paused momentarily until she heard his affirmative signal and moved on with it, "I have checked the perimeter. There is one of those _things_ trapped in the balcony but there aren't any other sounds coming from inside the room. I even dared to open my door and checked if there was someone out there; guess what, no one was standing in the hallway. Since the apartment complex is like one of those motels*, I had view of the parking lot too where a few of them were wandering around."

[ * _Sakura means the classical Japanese apartment complexes which are shaped like a Greek P (Π) and the hallways are like balconies, open in a way you can see the outside._ ]

"Sounds good to me. At least there aren't many in your level. Have you heard something from the other levels?" Sasuke inquired from the other side of the phone.

Sakura shook her head negatively, "I didn't dare to do this. However, I'm living on the second level of the complex so there shouldn't be any problem with heading down to the parking lot."

"But what happens in case you encounter one of them? What will you do then? You must have-"

"I know what I'm doing," Sakura replied irritably, slightly angered from the wave of questions which had crashed on her in a split second. However, it was true. She hadn't found any kind of 'weapon' she could use in order to survive, only her kitchen knives. "After successfully arriving in the lobby, I will stand beside the door and take out one of those small fire crackers I found in my Christmas accessories. I will throw it away from my position in order for the wanderers to be distracted while I will be heading towards my car. I have left the keys on the machine and what will be left for me to do is to drive off and. . ."

Sasuke waited for the female to reply but, when she didn't, he chose to ask the question he had wanted to ask from the very start of her plan, "And then what? Where are you going to go?"

Sakura bit her lower lip, "Where are you living?" The words fled out of her mouth like a hungry lion struggling to escape from its cage. Indeed she was embarrassed to ask him in such an abrupt way where he lived but there was no other place she could go. Her parents were living in America and her friends were . . . She couldn't even bear the thought of it.

"Akita."

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as disappointment and despair overtook her. She was living in the center of Tokyo and Akita was miles away from her current position. Was she really going to make this happen?

"I-Is a kitchen knife a trustworthy weapon against them?" she muttered with a quivering voice and clutched the device in her hand like it was her savior.

"Yes."

"Very good," Sakura stated and swallowed her breath. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

Sasuke waited for a second before replying, "Goodnight, Sakura. Keep safe."

The call was ended. Sakura stared at her masterpiece and her body began shaking, her vision beginning to blur from the tears which had began forming in her eyes. Without wasting any more time, Sakura dropped the device on the table and ran in the kitchen, searching the drawers. When she found the item she was searching for, she walked back in her room and closed all the lights.

Once she lied on her bed, the tears she was holding back this whole time spilled out of her eyes, slowly rolling down her cheeks to make the torture less bearable. The knife she had sneaked out of the drawer was held close to her together with her pillow which was pressed again her chest. She snuggled in it as silent sobs began escaping her mouth and images from the outside invaded her mind.

Truth was that she was truly afraid of going outside and coming face to face with those creatures. She wanted to be kept somewhere safe, somewhere warm, close to Sasuke. Because she felt as if he was the person she could trust the most at that moment. However, she had to fight them in order to gain that security and warmth. Earlier in the day, she had faced death once and she was sure she could face him once more.

This was a dog-eat-dog world right now, a game which had just began. And she wasn't intending on losing.

Sakura bit down her lip and wiped off the rest of her tears.

"I'll keep searching until I'll die . . . Sasuke."


	3. The way out

It was needless to say that Sakura didn't close an eye that night. Worrying about the next day was of primary importance to her, her mind plotting doomsday scenarios with her throbbing heart not helping the situation. However, her determination to live was stronger, thus it won this fight.

When her clock signaled four in the morning, Sakura arose from her bed and immediately started changing her clothes. She wore a thick shirt under her long-sleeved jacket and then started covering her body parts with her roller skating equipment; elbows, knees and head were covered. Her old tool belt was used as a weapon storage which was filled with small kitchen knives and razors and tied around her waist. Last but not least, her handmade device was inserted in one of the pouches of the belt.

"Let's . . . do this," the girl murmured with a quivering tone conquering her voice, holding onto her blade as tightly as she could.

Sakura slowly unlocked the front door and pushed it open slightly, just to take a peak of the outside. No movement was detected, nor a living dead was in sight. Taking her first step out of her apartment was the hardest thing she must have done in her whole life; even suicide seemed so little at the moment. Her legs were wobbling to an extreme extent and she was wondering how she had managed to stay still.

After recovering from her shock, Sakura closed the door as quietly as she had opened it and began walking slowly across the corridor. Most of the doors of the level were open, thus making her more aware of her surroundings. She was just before the last door when a growl behind her made her freeze on her spot. Her heart beats quickened out of fear and she span around, her knife shakily pointed towards the noise. It was as she had expected it- it was a living dead.

However, it would be harmless for her in the state this dead woman was. Her legs were cut off for the most part, chewed up to the bone and she was trying to push herself forward with her seemingly wounded hands. A part of her mouth was ripped off which was giving her a disgusting characteristic on her appearance, her rotten teeth and gums on point. Another snarling from the creature caused the girl's body to relax a bit and push forward for once more. After all, she had to get out of there soon.

Once she arrived at the top of the stairs without having any problems with any other creatures, Sakura pondered what to do again. After these stairs, there was the lobby. It was small and you could be tracked down quite easily, no hiding spots acquired in it. Yet, it was either the lobby or her apartment.

Clutching the knife in her hand, the girl began walking down the stairs as carefully as before. Her heart was drumming in her ears faster than before, louder than ever. Her eyes frantically gazed around the place; blood was spluttered on the wall together with small meat pieces, the awful smell of decaying flesh filling up the space and allowing almost no oxygen to enter. It was suffocating.

The darkness of the lobby greeted Sakura once she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Not even a part of it was visible, all except from the place below the flickering light of the entrance. She decided to stand by and wait until a sound could be heard. Only deadly silence occupying the room along with a few alarming snarling sounds coming from the outside.

_It shall be safe_ , thought Sakura who planned her next moves on the spot. She was well aware of her surroundings- if nothing was removed or pushed aside, at least-, thus resulting to her knowing about the route she had to follow.

Sakura took a few wary steps front before advancing and moving in a normal pace. Something sticky was spilled on the ground below her feet and the least she needed at the moment was to learn what it was. Her route was peaceful and easy until something grabbed her leg. Letting a yelp escape from her mouth, she tried moving her captured leg around in order to free it but the grip was too strong. The darkness was making it harder for her to see and find a quick solution. A growling was heard from below which alarmed her senses immediately. Finally, she managed to give a strong blow to the creature's head with her foot, a cracking sound being heard a few moments later. Sakura didn't know whether she had killed it or not but her instinct was yelling at her to move. After all, there could be many more of them lurking in the shadows and she wasn't intending on staying to find out.

Sakura opened the lobby door under the dull light with as much courage as she had left and faced the outside world. Fear conquered her for a moment when she realized that she was on the same level as the lurkers. Picking up herself, Sakura moved out of the apartment complex as quickly as she had crossed the entrance.

She caught a glimpse of the parking lot, thankfully free of any of those creatures. However, she could still see some of them in the distance- walking sloppily on the road, almost lying on other abandoned cars, a sight which tied a tight knot in her stomach.

_The car is there . . . Just there!_ she encouraged mentally herself, hope and broken spirit swimming in the back of her eyes.

Without overthinking about it, Sakura dashed across the parking lot and aimed for her car. An unwanted presence greeted her once she reached the driver's door. A lurker was seated in front of it, startling the girl to the point where she tripped on her own feet and fell back. _It_ turned its attention on the fallen girl, dull eyes inspecting her and hands starting to move. With a groan, the moving corpse grabbed her foot and attempted to bite it.

"No!" nearly yelled Sakura with shock and fear being clearly shown on her tense face. At this moment of panic, she attempted kicking the creature in the face with her captured leg, seeing that she had no other options. Unfortunately, this technique didn't work on this one with its strong hold keeping her foot still in place.

Sakura was paralyzed with fear. She couldn't think straight as she watched the bloody gums being shown through its stretched lips, the threatening teeth pressing against her shoe. It didn't need anything else to trigger the single thing left in her empty shell. Instinct. 

The girl pushed herself off the ground and lunged towards the zombie with her foot still captured by it. Her body fell on top of it and without another second's thinking, she brought the knife down on its head. She had learned that it needed a lot of pressure in order to crack open a skull and being weak on her muscles, it would take her some effort to do it. Sakura pulled back the knife and brought it down multiple times to the point skull pieces were stuck on her hands and the awful smell together with the brutal sight in front of her were creating a ferocious scene.

Sakura breathed heavily upon finishing her masterpiece with the world spinning around her as she came back to her senses. She felt a gagging sensation punching the air out of her lungs, like a rope was continuously being tightened around her neck and was choking her little by little. However, she wasn't able to calm down herself as her actions had attracted some unexpected guests. Four of them were already closing up, being wakened up from their slumber, and there was no room for second thoughts.

"Fuck," she cursed profoundly, hand searching for her car keys.

Sakura pressed the 'unlock' button once she found them and slid in the car as fast as she could. Safety embraced her when she closed the door and the adrenaline had swept away the gagging feeling. Leaning her head slightly on the wheel, she placed the keys in the hole and breathed in. _Let's leave this place behind_ , she voiced in her thoughts as she turned on the machine. Yet, the car refused to move.

"What?" she questioned loudly. She tackled driving it forward and reverse but nothing responded. As if the car had dropped dead too. "No, no, no . . . "

The car had no leftover gas to move. The tank was completely empty. Sakura's panicked eyes searched frantically for a solution to the problem but it ended up in the way it had started.

Fists and bodies shook the small vehicle and the time was running out. Her plan had failed because of that little hidden detail. There was no way out, only death.

_They say that you're born alone, thus you die alone_ , she thought vividly, feeling herself tearing up again. She was helpless, and death was scary.

_"When you're in a bad situation, make the best out of it and find a solution. Thinking positively helps"_ ; Hinata's words rang in her head, as if someone was eager to take her out of that place full of destruction and misery.

"The back," she voiced out-loud, turning her attention at the back of the car. She was in the lucky position of being able to pull front the back seats and have the trunk as her emergency exit. She was saved.

Reaching to the back, she unlocked the seats and pulled them front in a way the space was finally in sight. Sakura looked at her enemies outside; snarling and bumping violently against her doors, her flesh being what they craved in these moments. However, she wasn't intending on giving it to them.

Pressing the trunk button, the backdoor was lifted up soundly and Sakura was on the move. Thankfully, only one of them was to the back and she swiftly moved to avoid any contact with it. Her heart pounded soundly in her chest as she felt her hand brush against its torn clothing, all dead gazes on her as she dashed down the parking lot.

The moment she hit down both of her feet on the road, she knew that she was completely screwed. Tons of them were in sight, much more than she had thought. She was fooled by the few in the parking lot, falling in their trap like the mouse grabbing the cheese from the trap. Her plan to pass by unnoticeable had crumbled down along with her escape plan. 

Sakura felt the groggy eyes  staring at her from every direction, alarming the sleeping zombies. Groans and growls were emitted from all directions around, thus they arose. 

_Oh no, no, no, no, no_ , a voice screamed in her head continuously , every ounce of power being erased slowly from her body. She was completely defenseless at this very moment, she was doomed. Her end was near by the corner and it would reach her soon. She knew she had disappointed them all; Sasuke, her instincts, the possibilities of saving a living soul out there but mostly, herself.

Sakura stood in the center of the despicable attention she had attracted, knife in hand and life at stake.

_Death is so lonely._

With fury burning in her eyes, Sakura leaped forwards and swung her knife to the first target she found. Her aim was good this time and she succeeded in bringing it down. However, her luck ran out quickly as a bunch of them leaped towards her and successfully brought her down. Their bloodied and torn faces were filled with victory as they caught their prey and leaned down for a bite.

All the girl could do was to stare up straightly, eyes half-lidded as they took  in all of the sky for the last time ever. 

Teeth were buried in her shoulder and she could clearly sense the blood streaming down her whole hand. Crunching and smashing were the sounds that came up next but not in the way she expected them. She felt completely no other pain and she sensed as if the space around her was cleared off. Gradually, weight was put upon her as if they were aiming for another bite. Yet, the absence of pain made her reconsider the situation she was in.

"Are you okay?"

Eyes as black as abyss looked down at her, black hair being released from the helmet once it was taken off and pale skin sticking out like a fly in milk. Those characteristics seemed overall familiar, as if she had seen or listened about them before, that particular description was buried in the back of her mind.

Could it be . . .

"Sasuke?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't startle you with this shocking revelation? Or is it a revelation? No one shall ever know- until the next update, that is.
> 
> I hope you're truly enjoying this fan fiction; drop your opinions in the comments below!


	4. You're with us

_She was squirming around on her bed, the conquering fear not allowing her to get a wink of sleep. Sakura stared breathlessly at the ceiling and patted her growling stomach, the food deprivation hitting her hard. Her eyes fell on her faithful companion, the device which had connected her with help._

_Without overthinking it, she took it in her hand and pressed the button, "Sasuke."_

_As expected, silence greeted her from the other line and she turned back to laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling carelessly._

_"Yes?"_

_Sakura was taken aback upon hearing his voice being emitted from the device and she quickly grabbed it, "Are you still awake?"_

_A huff echoed in the microphone, "I should be asking that."_

_"I can't . . . fall asleep. Obviously," Sakura spitted out and fondled with her long hair strands. "Can we talk a bit? For whatever."_

_"Sure."_

_"So, um . . . " she began, biting her bottom lip out of plain awkwardness. "Tell me more about you."_

_"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend."_

_Sakura let out a curt laugh after a small pause and heard Sasuke leaving a short chuckle soon after his lame joke. She swiped a strand of pink hair which had fallen on her face to the side and listened closely to his voice._

_"I'm twenty-five. I still live at my parents' and I'm studying Criminology. I adore riceballs with bonita filling and I can't stand people who take selfies the whole time. This shit's annoying, you know? Ah, what else . . . I have the blackest hair in the region and my eyes almost have the same color. I'm also as pale as toilet paper and I really don't know from where I inherited this. Ah, sorry, I got carried away."_

_Sakura giggled softly, "Then you'd probably love me. And you sound like one of these tough guys who have an alpaca collection."_

_". . . Lies."_

_"I knew it!"_

"Sasuke?"

The male figure in front of her shot her with an unexpectedly confused look as he knelt down in front of her, "Who?"

Sakura sighed painfully and clutched her fist besides her, feeling the road pavement scrapping her skin.  _Of course it isn't him. What are you even thinking? How could he come here?,_  thought the girl as she gazed at the man in front of her who was inspecting the area for any more walkers. A sudden sharp pain electrified her whole shoulder and she screeched curtly, grasping the part which hurt her, only to manage to intensify the pain.

"Don't touch this part," the man exclaimed as he grabbed her palm and removed it from her bloody arm. An enormous amount of blood was jumping out of her arm in a quick rate to the point Sakura felt the world spinning around her.

Thus, the last thing she saw was the mysterious man with the black suit shouting for help in his radio.

 

    。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

 

The rippling pain on her arm was the thing which completely and absurdly woke her up. Sakura growled from the immense pain and managed to open her dry eyes after blinking a  few times. A dim light resembling a sun ray greeted her at first but after her vision cleared, she realized it was a lamp besides her. The soft bed sheets under her body caused her to panic; was it all a dream? Had she missed her chance?

"You're up."

Sakura was startled by the voice which reached her ears and she managed to crane her neck to the side. The same abyss black eyes, pale skin and pitch black hair greeted her just as they were the last things which had faded away before her deep slumber. Despite seeing something human and safe, her muscles never relaxed.

"Who are  _you_?"

The male who was seated besides her bed cocked his head to the side a bit, "I should be asking you the same."

Sakura knew that pressuring him to tell her more information about himself wouldn't get her anywhere, thus she opened her mouth first. "I'm Sakura Haruno. Twenty-two years old. I was trapped in my apartment since these . . .  _events_  broke out and today I attempted to escape. But I got swarmed by a group of these things and you arrived and . . .  now I'm here, wherever 'here' is."

"Two days ago, you mean," he corrected her, making Sakura's mouth gape open.

" _Two days_?!" A wave of panic almost drowned her, her mind flying to her device and Sasuke. God only knew what could have happened to him these past days. Maybe he was dead. Maybe he thought  _she_  was dead. Or worse.

"But the question here, Miss Haruno," the male cut in, his eyes never leaving her figure. "How the hell are you still alive?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, finding herself being extremely perplexed and immediately forgetting about her previous pain. Her emerald eyes were planted in the male's onyx ones, seeking for an explanation, "What do you mean?"

The man stretched his hand towards her shoulder and tapped it, making her flinch even so slightly, "Ever wondered how you obtained this?"

The memories of two days ago filled her mind and she made a disgusted face, "These things took a bite out of me?"

"Actually, the just sank their teeth in your shoulder but that's not the point," he described, propping his hands on his lap. "Thing is that you've been bitten. And whoever has gotten bit has turned into one of these creatures."

Sakura could feel her intense heartbeat rippling through her body and her mind analyzing what he had just told her. She remembered hearing this from Sasuke and she had taken precautions because of this yet she was still bitten. How hadn't she turned into one of them?

""How" is what we're searching for too, Miss Haruno," the man pipped up, as if he had read her exact thoughts.

Sakura's eyes searched around for her faithful device but it was nowhere to be seen.

"For now, all I want is the device I had with me."

"This cannot be done. It has been taken by my men and is being analyzed in our labs. Truly amazing what you've constructed; did you build it on your own?"

The man stood up from his seat and Sakura glared at him, eyes almost boring holes in his skull. "I said I want  _my_  property back. I don't even know who the hell you are."

The man stood by the door, dull eyes staring at her figure, "I'm Commander Yamanaka Sai and you're with us now." With nothing left to say, he left as suddenly as he had appeared.

 

    。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

 

All she could do was stare at the fabricated ceiling of the space she was in, millions of thoughts were running through her mind without being processed. She just existed, waiting for something to happen or for her body to get tired. 

 _Stand up_ , she thought to herself, using her good arm to remove the blanket from above her. She wasn't surprised when she realized she could easily move her feet after being out for days. Her feet touched the top of her boots and she squinted her eyes when she noticed the solid brown ground under them.  _Indeed, I'm in a tent._

Dragging her intravenous bags' stand along her after spending quite the time to slip in her boots, she managed to take a few weak steps. Sakura clicked her tongue and jiggled her feet around individually to stretch them out. If something were to happen, she wouldn't like to be defenseless. 

The girl could now move around freely and she took a moment of silence to listen to the sounds from outside. A few faraway chatters could solely be heard; nothing more, nothing less. Confirming that no one was close to see or hear her, Sakura walked at the end of the tent and opened one of the curtains.

"Oh."

The male who was previously in her room had appeared right in front of her, startling her once more to no end. The girl placed her hand above her now fast-paced heart and breathed out.

"You scared the shit out of me."

Sai stared at Sakura, eyes squinting even so slightly at her presence, "And you weren't supposed to start walking off on your own."

As if she had received a mental message, the girl gritted her teeth and walked back on her bed, sitting on it. Sai sat on the same chair as before and opened a file in front of them.

"Your blood tests have arrived and," he started explaining, pausing only to look at her, "you're clean. You're lucky."

 _Lies_. Of course Sai knew that she wasn't lucky. After she had passed out when they found her, huge amounts of blood were jumping out of her shoulder, thus making it impossible for her not to be infected directly. There was something else in the middle that Sai couldn't quite put his finger on. However, he decided to keep that thought to himself for the moment, not wanting to trouble himself with any more puzzles.

Sakura sighed in relief but soon acquired a perplexed expression on her face, "If I was bitten, why did you take me with you?"

Sai remained silent for a moment before taking something out of the back of his gun belt, "Because we had already brought you here. Take this." A plastic bag containing Sakura's device was placed in her hands.

"Thank . . . you," she said, feeling a small smile forming on her lips. The item which was so familiar to her made her feel warm inside.

Sai cleared his throat, turning Sakura's attention on him. "You're currently in a military campsite in Tokyo. We will move out in half an hour to go to the nearest military base so get ready."

Without another word, the male disappeared again and left Sakura alone. Indeed, her old clothes felt better and more suitable on her body, giving her the familiar warmth they provided her whenever she was in them.

Sai kept his promise; the male was standing right outside the tent twenty minutes after and was waiting for her. Sakura peeked out of her tent with her one and only item in hand and promptly walked outside. It was night and she couldn't see much but she managed to distinguish a few neighboring tents and empty food cans here and there. 

"Are we ready to go?"

"You'll come with me," was Sai's only response as he started walking off, the girl taking it as a sign to follow him and walking right behind him.

Both were soon in the entrance of the camp where soldiers of the Japanese army were finishing transferring boxes in the military trucks. Sakura never left Sai's side as she was too scared of getting lost or attacked again in some way. Sai exchanged some words with his own men before motioning to the girl to follow him inside the third truck in line.

A man was already seated in the driver's seat but was soon dismissed and replaced by the Commander. Sakura sat besides him in silence as she fondled with her device in her hands.

"I can put it in my bag," Sai offered with his eyes steeled upon the item.

Sakura shook her head negatively, "I'd prefer a pouch to put it in, if that's okay."

Sai looked around in the front of the truck and grabbed a small piece of cloth laying around, "Found one but it's worn out."

"This will do, thanks."

Both sat in reluctant silence as Sakura placed the device in the single pouch, securing it tightly. Soon, the truck in front of them took off and theirs followed after.

The growling of the dead could be heard from outside the vehicles, disturbing Sakura. "If you're their Commander, how come you aren't seated in the first truck? And why are you driving?"

Sai snorted for the first time (or showed a different emotion than apathy, rather), his eyes always on the road, "This isn't the normal world anymore, miss. I may be their leader but my roles vary."

Sakura simply nodded and tried focusing her eyes on something else than the road. Sai peeked at her from the corner of his eye and tapped the plastic cupboard in front of her, "There is a gun in here, if that makes you feel safer. There will be no need for it though since the military base of Tokyo is one of the safest."

Sakura mentally thanked him for his reassuring words and nodded her head reluctantly, leaving a shaky breath out of nervousness. Anxiousness was twisting her guts and was leaving her out of breath every time she inhaled. She was more worried about her plan to go to Akita. She knew for sure that the military force wouldn't let her go; a spark of hope shined inside of her when she thought they could go and fetch Sasuke, ensuring his safety.

_But there is no fuel left and he's one person._

"Where were you headed before, Miss Haruno?" questioned Sai, taking her by surprise. "You wouldn't be wandering out there like this randomly. No sane person would."

Cold sweat started forming at the back of her neck and she opened her mouth, no excuse or lie coming out. It seemed like she had lost every last bit of her vocabulary and all that there was left were random vowels. However, before she was able to voice anything, the truck came to a sudden halt. Both tried to distinguish anything from the trucks in front of them but it was impossible with the obscure environment around them. And then, the sound of shots being fired broke out.

Sai cursed out loud and abruptly opened the driver's door, jumping off. "Stay inside," he ordered Sakura before lunging forward where the lightning of the guns firing appeared to be.

Sakura glanced at the motionless glass of the truck and it took her no more time or second thoughts on what to do. She opened the small cupboard and snatched the gun, opening the truck's door and jumping off instantly. Her legs, as if they were programmed, started moving as fast they could, taking her away from that place.

She was blinded by the dark and the tears brimming from the corners of her eyes as she ran away. She was tripping on her way and standing up again, she was continuing to run away. Run away from the gunshots and the lightning streaks. Run away from the growls and the teeth sinking in the warm flesh. Run away from humanity.

Just run. Run.  _Run_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading yet another chapter of my story! What do you think will happen next? Comment down below what you think and have a nice day ❀


	5. Searching for the lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for so long! But here's the next chapter and I hope you will all enjoy it. Drop your opinions in the comments down below and don't forget to bookmark it if you don't want to miss any upcoming updates!

The loud thumping of her heart was the only thing which kept her awake for the rest of the night. Silence was engulfing everything. No birds chirping, no wind blowing through the old pipes on the side of the road, no shoes scratching against the rough asphalt. Silence was reigning this world.

Sakura played with an elastic band which was laying besides her on the car's back seats. The girl had spent the early morning hours inside a -fortunately- abandoned car on the side of the road after seemingly countless hours she had dedicated on running.

 _Running._  Why had she kept on running? 

Getting up from her laying position was the hardest thing she had done in the past few days. The weight of leaving her saviors fight off these monsters without helping was pressing down her abdomen, giving her the urge to vomit right here and there. Despite that, Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and repeated some breathing exercises to control her breathing rhythm. 

_Everything will be okay._

Her device was dropped besides her and she managed to repeat a few broken-sounding "Hello"'s and "Sasuke"'s before giving up. No one answered except from the static and she depicted that no one would any time soon.

"Have faith," the girl mumbled to herself before tucking the device in the pouch which was miraculously still wrapped around her waist. A pang of guilt ran through her body but she didn't let her eyes linger on it any longer.

Sakura peeked through the holes of the cloth that was placed on the window to hide the inside of the car, noticing a little of these creatures standing motionless on the streets. The sun hadn't started appearing yet on the sky and she presumed that it was safe for her to take off.

_Wait._

She stared at the steering wheel for a moment before jumping onto the driver's sear. The keys were already in the hole and she turned them. The satisfying shaking of the machine being turned on was a relief and the indication of the gasoline being high made her waste no time in stepping on the pedal.

The car took off.

  。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

Sakura spent hours inside the car, sitting in silence and staring only at the road in front of her. Luck was with her this time, seeing she had managed to get out of the city from side-roads and passages which held little to no population. Thus, no dangers inflicted her way. Her destination was Sasuke's location. Her eyes flickered on the device placed behind the steering wheel and she let a sigh escape her lips.

With the car still driving, she brought the item close to her mouth, "Sasuke, are you there?"

No reply.

"Sasuke."

Nothing.

"Please . . ."

Still nothing.

The pink-haired female squeezed the device in her hand to the point it became numb and let it bounce on the passenger's seat besides her. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she managed to swallow her sadness and refocus back on the road. 

A black blur in the horizon suddenly entered her range of vision which made her freeze in her spot out of fear and curiosity. However, she kept driving with the hopes that it wasn't something that would put her ride in jeopardy.

She was a couple of miles away from the black blur before being able to distinguish that it was a huge amount of parked cars and a mass of what she presumed was a truck toppled over and blocking the exit. Her car soon came to a stop and she pressed her palms against the steering wheel, examining her options. Sakura looked around the area and noticed a small resting area for travelers by car.   A mini market besides a gas station and a couple of cars stationed in the tiny parking lot could be distinguished.

 _The two-way exits . . . of course_ , thought the girl, letting out a sigh of relief. The resting area had an entrance two miles away from her current location and the exit was a bridge going over the toppled truck, leading to the main road. 

The car slowed down as it approached the entrance, her watchful eyes always on the look for any surprises. Thankfully, she saw no immediate danger approaching her location. She kept her eyes fixated on the mini market, the thought of picking up some supplies for the road not seeming bad.

Once the car was parked, Sakura strode across the parking lot and stood in front of the sealed entrance of the shop. It looked as if it was locked from the inside and the front was blocked with a car. It was clear that this place was for no livers.

However, the abandoned cars piqued the girl's interest and she soon found herself going to each car to check if anything was left inside them that could be useful to her. The first car had a message scribbled on the dust covering one of its windows, seeming that it was there long before everything happened.

**_take my life, take my soul_ **

She frowned and ignored the tightening of her stomach, tearing her eyes off it and focusing on her task at hand. 

She was able to find a torch, canned bread and two unopened bottles of water, much to her own luck. The girl was through half the cars until a not-so-distant growling caught her off guard. Raising her eyes from the car she was about to rummage through, she froze in her spot.

A horde of walking pieces of rotten flesh had started coming out from behind the toppled truck, their steady way having her location as a part of it. Cursing inwardly after managing to regain her composure, she fiddled with the car's handle. Luckily, the door opened with a creaky sound and she entered, closing it as quietly as she could. Sakura, breathless, lied on the driver's seat and let her head touch the edge of the passenger's seat as she tried not to let panic overtake her once again.

She started thinking of a way to make herself seem invisible, yet she didn't manage to after noticing a pair of widened eyes staring at her from the back seats.

    。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

The audible cracking resounded in the closed space, soon to be followed by metal hitting the floor. The previous movements of the object stopped and the body fell on the ground, making a thumping sound. Blood was splattered on the walls, as if someone had decided to try out extreme painting techniques and the light entering from the merely open windows was illuminating little of the macabre scene.

The male who was standing alone in the room crouched down on one knee to inspect the corpse. It stank for real, making his face scrunch up at the remembrance of brain fluids splattering on his face together with melted brain pieces and making him stink like shit for the rest of the week. He gave a light squeeze on his newfound weapon -a metal baseball bat which, mind you, was heavy as it came- and started scratching the dried blood off his shoes.

A distant sound made his head snap to the side, making him stand up to resume back to his task at hand. He didn't have much time left.

The male turned and ran down the dark corridor, careful as to not fall in any traps set up from the dead. His empty bag hopped on his back and he stopped his step in front of a shelf filled with canned bread besides a stack of canned mushrooms. He dropped a few cans inside before stopping his movements to listen to any incoming sounds. Indeed, it seemed as if someone was coming towards his current position.

With a swift movement, he tucked the bag back on his back and dashed down the rest of the corridor until he was in front of a slightly opened door. Barging in with the knowledge that the room was safe, he hopped on the desk and lifted himself off it and out of the broken window above. As if he had done this hundreds of times before, he locked his hand on the outer metallic staircase of the building and hang on the air before leaping his foot on the right side. After a few moments of no movements, he swung himself and he clanged against the stairs.

He breathed out from exasperation and wiped the sweat which had formed on his forehead, shutting his eyes peacefully for a moment. For Sasuke Uchiha was alive for this day.

     。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。  

Time seemed to be frozen and the snarls of the undead were no bother then. The two pairs of eyes were steeled upon each other, silently gazing in between, yet both hearts were beating erratically against their strained chests.

Sakura was the first one to jerk her head up after a long period of silence and that earned an instant reaction from the other. A cane of a gun was pointed towards her and she froze any movements that were about to be made. Another long, surging silence engulfed the space between them before the girl decided to speak up.

"Who are you?"

No reply from the other person, cane not bulging but shaking slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just got inside to avoid the horde of these . . . zombified creatures. I promise I'll get outside once they pass by."

"Give me your weapons," the neutral voice of the person resounded, eyes steeled upon her. "Do anything tricky and you'll end up with a bullet in your skull."

Sakura did as she was told to, sliding over the only weapon she had on her; Sai's gun. The person grabbed the gun and lowered theirs.

"It will be long until the whole horde will pass by," the person said as they shuffled on their position. A slit from the clothes covering the back windows illuminated light on their face, Sakura examining their soft characteristics. "Get comfortable."

The girl couldn't help but chuckle, "Can't exactly do that in this position now, can I?"

The person shuffled a bit again, "You can crawl back here. I'll shoot you if you try anything though."

The girl grabbed the edge of the back seats and slowly pulled herself towards it. It took her a while but she managed to settle herself on one of the seats, luckily not seen from any of the undead from the front seats. In that way, she could have a better view of the other person.

They seemed to be a male in his mid-teens with spiky brown hair and a tired-looking attire. From what she could make out, he was around at the same height as her.

"What are ya looking at?" he questioned, sleepless eyes glaring at her.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, yours?"

He clicked his tongue when she avoided his question but softened his gaze on her, "Konohamaru Sarutobi."

"Nice to meet you- I mean, eh, not nice, but I'm glad I met you, Sarutobi-kun," Sakura answered, bringing her knees against her chest.

"Just Konohamaru."

"Mhm."

Sakura retracted her attention on the front and watched as the flesh-eating monsters stumbled forward, the horde seeming to never end. It was a weird moment to feel calm, yet she could sense the odd tranquility occupying her body for a bit. A long period of time passed before her emotions overran her body. As if both were secured in a room where no harm could be done as long as they kept up with this muting silence.

And before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks and she started rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands frantically.

Konohamaru noticed the sudden movements and furrowed his eyebrows in concern, "Is something the matter?"

"It's just that I haven't . . . I can see a human . . . It's so calm and . . . I . . . " the girl stammered out, all the sorrow built in and calmness she desperately tried to find bursting out from her clouded eyes.

The teenager couldn't help but reach out and touch her shoulder as a form of comfort. Sakura nodded her head intensively, wiping her tears from her face. This small outburst had helped her realize she was human, she had living emotions inside her. And that's what mattered to her the most at the moment.

"I should stop crying so much," she declared, letting a half-dead chuckle escape her mouth. "It's gotten annoying."

Konohamaru sighed and retracted his hand, "It  _is_  annoying but to a point . . . understandable, I think."

The pink head sighed on cue, squeezing her knees against her chest, "Yeah."

"How did you end up here anyways?"

"I was searching for supplies until I saw this horde coming towards me so I jumped into the nearest car," she explained, motioning with her hand. "I had to make a stop for supplies seeing that Tokyo is a danger zone and it's hazardous to search for anything there."

He hummed, "And what are your plans?"

"I'm . . . heading to Akita to search for a friend. It's a long way from here but I think I can manage." She turned to look at him, "How about you?"

"I've been here ever since all of this started. I was travelling with my grandpa and we had to make a stop for gas. He left me in the car." Konohamaru's eyes darkened all of sudden and Sakura didn't need to ask to know what had happened afterwards.

"And what are you planning on doing now?"

"I . . . I guess I'll . . ." Konohamaru twitched in his position uncomfortably. "I don't know."

"You can come with me if you want."

Sakura blurted out this sentence before thinking twice and it came to a surprise even to her, yet she didn't regret proposing it. She was expecting an immediate refusal but instead, she was greeted by two glorified eyes.

"You . . . You really mean that?"

Sakura nodded, "Even if we don't exactly know each other, you're welcome to join me. The road gets boring easily, you know."

Konohamaru chuckled softly and reached out for her hand, giving it a soft squeeze, "I'd be happy to join you, Haruno-san."

"Sakura will do, Konohamaru," she replied, responding to the squeeze with a tight smile.

The journey had just begun.

       。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

Darkness was engulfing the whole car and only the distant flickering light of the mini marker was distinguishable there. The moaning of the undead had become so distant it could barely be heard in the absolute silence. The two persons inside the car had propped themselves in the back seats, hiding under a blanket and two coats. 

Sakura couldn't get a wink of sleep. She had these continuous thoughts about how things had turned out to be. She was hours away from Akita Prefecture and she was lucky enough to have moved around without any barriers up to now. Konohamaru was with her now, a guy she barely knew but couldn't leave behind because what could he do all alone out there? He would certainly be eaten or worse, turned into one of these things, and she couldn't even bear the thought of that. However, the thing troubling her the most was Sasuke not answering her calls from the other line. 

 _He can't be dead, he_ shouldn't _be dead . . ._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Konohamaru moving around in his position, mumbling things in his sleep. His hands had tightened around the covers above him and his face had scrunched up to a scowl, as if he was in pain. The girl shuffled close to him and wrapped one arm around him along with her blankets. She started rubbing his shoulders soothingly and tried to calm him down.

Thus she was lulled to sleep by his silent whimpering and the unbearable weight of her thoughts.


	6. It's Late

Even if the light slipping through the filtered glass was little, it was enough to wake up Sakura. She had to admit it was the best sleep she had gotten ever since all of this had begun, yet her muscles felt tight and her body numb. It seemed like the whole psychological stress had finally gotten into her.

Konohamaru shifted besides her as if he had sensed her awakening from her slumber. He blinked a few times before feeling around. The moment he noticed Sakura, he jolted up and made a reach for his gun. Sakura's breath hitched in her throat and rose her hands besides her head; the boy relaxed when his eyes cleared out and saw that it was the friendly stranger.

"Hey, Konohamaru."

"Sorry," the boy mumbled and pulled the coat closer to him, burying his face in it as he did so.

Neither of them moved as the teenager tried to calm down himself, his hectic breathing coating Sakura's erratic heartbeat. The streams of sunlight that fell in the vehicle were calming. Sakura embraced their warmth and closed her eyes as she did so, her hands tracing her face as if she was bathing with them.

"You okay?"

Konohamaru rose his head from his previous position and nodded. He rubbed his tired eyes and peeked through the pieces of fabric that were hiding them from the view of the parking lot.

"It's clear. Shall we move out?"

Sakura eyed the space out of the sealed windows in the same way he did and nodded, "Quick, before they get back. I'll be waiting for you in the car. It's a red one."

She hopped off the car and let the sun fully bathe her with its heavenly light. Letting her eyes trace on the scenery, she concluded that it would be a pretty sight to look at if she wasn't holding a gun and the limping corpse in front of her wasn't growling lowly. Checking left and right for any other living corpses, she grabbed the gun from its cane and made her way around  it. 

It was slow; slow enough for her to hit it from behind and kick its skull open when it fell down. Sakura let her eyes wander on it before realizing how dehydrated she was. She made a mental note to drink later from the packed water she had found the previous day.

_'It won't hurt to search for some more food.'_

Sakura moved back into her car that seemed unscathed from the horde that had passed by the previous night and searched through her little belongings. She made a grab for her trusty kitchen knife, not failing to notice her communication device still sitting in the pouch the way she had left it.

The girl bit down her lip; would Sasuke reply this time? She didn't wait to find out.

Her shaky fingers pressed the green button. "Sasuke?"

Static filled the air but she didn't give up. She tried seven more times, yet no answer was received. 

Sakura didn't let the feeling of dread overcome her again, she shouldn't let it conquer her senses. She let the device fall roughly on the back seats and closed the door carefully, not letting herself slam it close out of frustration and disappointment. Instead, she focused on her task at hand which was to search for supplies. 

She made a run for the nearest car, an old vehicle with an open trunk. A rope was hanging out of it and she grabbed it, deciding that it could prove to be useful later on. As she moved to the front, her hands paused on the handle of the backseats. A particularly nasty-looking lurker was sitting in the car, its hands scratching on the closed window as it desperately tried to grab on the prey in front of it but to no avail, as it was held back by the seat belt.

Sakura sighed and moved to the next car. Thankfully, it was clear of any living dead and she was able to open the front seat, only to pull the trunk lever down. The trunk opened with a 'clunk' and she moved to the back. Her eyes were darting continuously back and forth, left and right and her senses were all heightened. She had to admit that she was scared to come face-to-face with the horde. 

"Holy hell."

The trunk was packed with a portable fridge and she wasted no time in opening it. The odor of rotten cheese hit her nose immediately and she tried to ignore it as she rummaged through it. Most things were rotten but she managed to find a bag of chips, a half-empty bottle of water and a can of juice. She felt a wave of relief washing over her and she opened the bag of chips, shoving some in her mouth.

The woman hadn't felt this euphoria in a long time, her stomach which had stopped rumbling long ago now taking in the food. She kept the other half of the bag for Konohamaru. 

She was about to scavenge from a few more cars before someone whistled from behind her. Konohamaru was besides the passenger's seat of her car, waving at her and pointing behind him. It seemed like the horde was coming for another run in the parking lot.

Gathering the few supplies in her hands, she made a run for the car. Sakura dropped the items in the back seats and hopped in as Konohamaru was tightening his seat belt. And like that, they were off.

Sakura panted even-so-lightly and smiled momentarily as she fixed the rear view mirror. The horde was getting smaller and smaller until they eventually lost sight of them once they took the turn for the main road.

"That was intense."

"Yeah, well . . ." Konohamaru trailed off as he let his eyes fall on the scenery they were passing by. "Haven't been this close to them before."

Sakura rose an eyebrow. "So you've never fought off one?"

A negative shake of the head.

Sakura focused on the road in front of her and didn't utter a word. She was glad the teenage boy wasn't forced to face such a traumatic experience but she knew that sooner or later, he would have to kill.

_Kill._

The car slowed down and Konohamaru snapped out of his trance, only to shoot Sakura with a questioning look. The female was rummaging through the dusted CD collection of the car and she managed to fish out one that caught her fancy.

"Woah, well . . . Rock music? That person had some taste."

She took out the disk and inserted it in the radio panel. With a few hits to the side, the CD started playing.

"Oh, Iggy Pop!"

"Are you actually  _that_  old?"

Sakura gasped pretentiously, causing Konohamaru to chuckle. "Prepare to start calling me Sakura-senpai from now on."

"No way!"

  。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。 

When he woke up, it was dark outside. He tried blinking a few times and he blindly patted the room around his laying body. He pulled his hand back when it made contact with the hard plastic.

_21:36._

Sasuke let the battery-powered clock back where he presumed he had taken it from and rolled to his side. He was incredibly frustrated to the point he had fallen asleep in the morning and as it seemed, he had just woken up.

' _Never again,_ ' he voiced in his head as he sat up on the twin-size mattress. His bones rattled and he bit the inside of his cheek in order not to scream. 

It had been three days. Three days since he had last heard from Sakura. Three days since he had stopped waking up and decided to rely on his depression naps. He hadn't formed a special bond with the girl but deep inside, he wanted,  _needed_ , someone by his side. A friend, an acquaintance, a comrade. 

The man huffed and stood up, grabbing on the nearest furniture to his mattress. He shouldn't be asking the universe for someone in this kind of situation, where corpses were reanimated and tomorrow didn't exist for all. 

"No one's given a second chance in this goddamn world," Sasuke seethed under his breath, as if fearing someone would hear him.

But truth was that he was all alone in this big house. 

He slumped back on his makeshift bed and grabbed his walkie talkie. "Sakura?"

He waited. One. Two minutes passed. No response.

"It's lonely in here. I was really hoping you'd come. So I wouldn't be so - "  _Alone_.

Sasuke's fingers twitched. "I don't know about you but I had a family. Father, mother, older brother. It was pretty nice here. I always failed to see that. Wish I had appreciated that more when they . . . we were a family."

Sasuke felt his eyes burning, burning with all the hatred and the pain, upon recalling those images that haunted him.  _Their_ holy ghosts were in him, touching his soul and hugging him when he was most cold. And at that moment, he didn't know if it would have been better for him to die at the spot. He wished that if he died, they would come back because they deserved a spot on Earth, in their little farm and their once normal life.

And he was just a bug that needed to be squashed.

 _God loves you, Sasuke_. No, he doesn't.

_There is no such thing as depression, Sasuke. God forbid. Depression is a sin, Sasuke. God forbid. Don't talk to Shisui anymore, Sasuke, homosexuality is a sin. God forbid._

God.  _God_.  ** _God_**.

". . . u . . . ke . . ."

Sasuke hadn't even noticed his walkie talkie had fallen off his hands. His breath hitched in his throat and he shakily picked it up, heart racing. "Sakura?!"

"Sa . . . ke . . . elp . . ."

"W-Wait, I can't hear you w- "

"Help!" the screaming of the girl filled the silence of the room, the despair in her voice rattling the bones of the dead in the basement and the space in Sasuke's head.

And the space in his head grew heavily when he realized he could do nothing.

  。。。＊ 。。。＊。。。＊。。。  

All she could do was watch. Watch as the lights of the car fell on the first living dead in the pitch black night. And then as another one grazed the side of the car and another one almost fell on the hood.

Eventually, she had to stop. Not because of Konohamaru's frightened look and yelping, not because of her own stomach spinning around. 

She had to stop the car because a mile-long of lurkers was coming towards her and they didn't intend on stopping.


End file.
